Pumpkin bites fill local restaurants

The Back Burner Restaurant

425 Hockessin Corners - Hockessin

Talk about signature dishes. The pumpkin mushroom soup, a velvety, heavy cream based pot of crimini mushrooms, pumpkin purée and cinnamon, has been a crowd favorite on the Back Burner's permanent menu for 20 years. The award-winning soup is topped with sour cream and chive and goes well with a light pinot noir. And not only is it available by the cup ($4) or bowl ($6) at the restaurant, but it's also available to-go by the pint ($5) and quart ($11).

Milburn Orchards

1495 Appleton Road - Elkton

Sure, it's nice to bite into a juicy, crisp, healthy apple just picked off a tree in a local orchard. But imagine if that same apple first became cider, and then was mixed into a donut batter. That apple would have the honor of being part of the most delicious apple-based fall food, the apple cider donut from Milburn Orchard. The first bite of the granulated-sugar dredged donut will leave a smattering of sugar on your face and fingers, but the texture of the tender, cakey donut combined with the flavor of apples, cinnamon and sugar means that you won't care. You'll plow through that first tasty treat, and be on to your second before you realize what's happening. Trust us. The apple cider donuts are 89 cents a piece and $7.95 a dozen.

Blue Crab Grill

322 Suburban Drive - Newark

It came as no surprise when Blue Crab owner Dick Schmidt told us that his pumpkin sausage, which is accompanied by a very autumnal apple-walnut risotto ($9), comes directly from the Italian Market in South Philadelphia. The pork sausage is ground up with fresh pumpkin, pecans and bourbon, and seasoned with nutmeg and allspice, which provides a peppery bite. The recommended pairing is one you'll find in our pumpkin six-pack, the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.